Menu for w/c 19th April 2010

We were out for lunch yesterday so no left over meat to use. Couple of meals from freezer but what with the still beautiful weather here start with

M Bbq - chicken wings (with rest if the buffalo sauce), blue cheese dip, carrot and celery sticks and burgers. M's girlfriend's birthday and she'll have been out for lunch already, so hence nibble food
T Honey and mustard chicken
Notes: used chicken breast cut unto half and 2tsp (not tbsp) mustard. Next time will use less parnsips - about 250g.
W Pasta with sauces from freezer (chicken and risotto for the parents, meatballs for M)
Th Duck and chips (back to school meal)
F Something from freezer

Lunches
Pitta bread with salad and chicken/ham
Cottage cheese salad (didn't have it last week)
Salad nicoise
Lentil and feta salad
Beetroot, new potatoes and ham

Parsnips

Still have some of last years parsnips in the ground, but need the space for this year's crops. Hence a trawl for recipes that aren't curried parsnip soup or roast parsnips. Will cook a load up, mash and freeze in 500-600g batches for all the recipes that call for mash!

Will edit the list as the recipes are sampled

600g parsnip to one large potato - cook and mash for a different topping for a shepherds pie
or like this: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1232/tasty-shepherds-pie-with-parsnip-mash
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5919/parsnip-mash-with-apple
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/259621/herby-parsnip-champ
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8053/chicken-and-leek-pot-pies - ie use mash instead of pastry.... worth trying with ham and chicken to make it lf

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/260618/roast-root-vegetable-and-green-lentil-soup

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4963/creamy-parsnip-and-squash-bake - need to use something instead of double cream - turning it into a gratin might work - or could use sauce from this recipe http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/8641/creamy-parsnip-and-mustard-gratin

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/7742/fiveaday-tagine
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1124/moroccan-tagine (looks better)

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/9582/honey-mustard-chicken-pot-with-parsnips
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/146607/green-chicken-and-vegetable-curry
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1271/herbed-pork-fillet-with-roast-vegetables lf
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1488/pork-with-apple-and-frizzled-sage lf
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1209/pork-and-parsnip-cobbler
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1859/muffintopped-winter-beef-stew

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4794/parsnip-and-potato-rosti
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1736/parsnip-hash-browns
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2886/potato-parsnip-and-horseradish-baked-rosti


http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/69605/parsnip-cranberry-and-chestnut-loaf

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/74603/sweet-potato-and-parsnip-bake

Salads

• Bbq pork and coleslaw


• Beansprout and carrot


• Beef and Beetroot


• Spiced Beetroot


• Blue Cheese and Walnut


• Cheat coronation chicken


• Cottage cheese and pine nuts


• Puy lentil and feta


• Tabouleh


• Turkey with Tabbouleh and Tahini Dressing


• Warm tomato, pea and potato

Not tried yet: For when the beetroot is abundant in the garden - Beetroot, walnut with goats cheese toast Raw beetroot pear and feta

Menu for w/c 12th April 2010

Large piece of beef pot roasted yesterday - ideal for my take on a Philly Steak sandwich. Will make up a large quantity of herby meat sauce with the remaining beef; some to have with pasta at the end of the week the rest for the freezer.

With the nettles bursting into growth at the edge of the field, time for a batch of nettle soup

M Spicy spaghetti with garlic mushrooms
T Philly Steak Sandwiches
W Jerk chicken
Th Meal from freezer
F Pasta and herby meat sauce

Salads etc for lunch
Puy lentil and feta salad
Cottage cheese and pine nuts
Toast pine nuts in dry frying pan until golden. Leave to cool. Add to tub of cottage cheese along with two finely chopped spring onions. Serve with green salad and a balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing.
Potato and radish salad with salami
Beef and Beetroot salad
Nettle soup

Buffalo Chicken Wings and Garlic Blue Cheese dip

With the glorious weather we're going for first bbq of the year. Can't believe that I haven't written up my recipe for the buffalo sauce for wings so here goes:

Melt 4tbsp low fat spread (I use an olive oil based one and melt in a small bowl in the microwave)
Stir in 1tbsp hot chilli sauce and 0.5tbsp ketchup

Sufficient for at least 15 chicken wings (cut at the joint and with tips removed prior to bbq'ing). Either coat cooked wings with sauce or use sauce for dipping.

Serve with garlic blue cheese dip:
Mash 75g Danish blue cheese with one crushed garlic clove and stir in about 250g plain yoghurt

If this is a starter for a large gathering I also serve carrot, celery and red pepper sticks as extras for the dip.

For tonight going to simply follow with burgers - much prefer to enjoy this lovely evening sun!

Pasta with Saffron, Ham and Peas

Based on this recipe

Feeds 3-4

Cook 250g conchiglie or similar pasta (I used lumaconi last night) according to packet
Pour 1tbsp of boiling water over a pinch of saffron and leave to steep.

In a large frying pan gently heat 1tbsp olive oil and gently fry 1 finely chopped clove of garlic along with 3 roughly chopped slices of parma ham (or similar) and 3 roughly chopped slices of normal ham.
Add 250g frozen peas, 2-3 tbsp low fat soft cheese, 1 glass of white wine and the saffron. Simmer until liquid has reduced by at least a third.
Mix in pasta, season and serve.

Potato boulangere with cooked minced meat

Basics are for potato boulangere but interspersed with minced cooked meat

Heat oven to 170C

Slice 1.5 lb of potatoes thinly ideally using a mandolin (potato skins on is fine)
Mince 8 oz of cooked meat (beef is family favourite - can use less meat in which case ensure onion is large)
Finely slice 1 onion

Fry onion in oil until transparent

Layer potatoes, onion and meat (seasoning with salt and paper) in a lightly greased baking tray finishing with layer of potatoes.

Mix 0.5pt milk with 0.5 tsp dry mustard powder and tbsp finely chopped parsley and pour over the potatoes.

Bake in oven for one hour until potatoes are cooked through.

Serve with plenty of fresh vegetables..... and ketchup!